Strictly Come Dancing professional Amy Dowden has delivered an encouraging update on her health, revealing that her recovery from a second mastectomy is progressing well.
The 35-year-old Welsh dancer appeared on Thursday's edition of It Takes Two alongside fellow professional Katya Jones for the show's Strictly Pro Challenge segment.
Before the pair performed their routine for head judge Shirley Ballas, presenter Janette Manrara enquired about Ms Dowden's wellbeing following her recent operation.
"I'm feeling really well actually! Four weeks ago today, I had my surgery, and recovery is all going to plan," she told viewers.
Amy Dowden shared an update following her surgery
|BBC
The studio audience responded with warm applause, while Ms Jones offered her colleague a compliment, telling her: "You look beautiful!"
Ms Dowden announced in November that she would be undergoing the second mastectomy, though she emphasised this was not the result of a fresh cancer diagnosis.
The dancer first discovered she had breast cancer in May 2023 after finding a lump in her breast just one day before she was due to depart for her honeymoon.
Her subsequent treatment proved gruelling, involving her initial mastectomy procedure alongside chemotherapy sessions.
Amy Dowden and Thomas Skinner left the 2025 series after just two weeks
| BBCThe illness forced her to miss that year's Strictly Come Dancing series entirely.
Ms Dowden's medical ordeal extended beyond cancer treatment itself, as she also underwent fertility treatment and nearly lost her life to sepsis during this period.
She received the all-clear from the disease in February 2024, enabling her return to the ballroom.
The choreographer made her comeback to Strictly last year, partnering with JLS star JB Gill in a pairing that quickly won over audiences.
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Amy Dowden was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2023
|BBC
However, an injury cut short her participation, forcing JB to continue the competition with Lauren Oakley instead.
This current series brought further disappointment when Ms Dowden and her celebrity partner Thomas Skinner became the first couple to face elimination.
In a moving message to the businessman, she expressed her gratitude for their time together.
"Tom, you have truly helped bring me back, not just to the show, but to myself. Our training days have been filled with laughter and just enjoying the moment," she wrote.
She praised his dedication, noting: "Your work ethic, your heart, and your commitment the last few weeks has been 110%."
Despite her early departure from the competition, Ms Dowden has remained a visible presence throughout the series.
Observant viewers have spotted the professional dancer in the Clauditorium and participating in various pre-recorded group routines.
During her It Takes Two appearance, Ms Dowden admitted she lacked confidence ahead of the pro challenge, joking that fortune had not favoured her since 2022 "in all matters of life."
Nevertheless, her performance earned top marks from Shirley Ballas, placing her at the summit of the leaderboard.
Last week, the dancer shared a powerful reflection on social media, posting contrasting images from two years apart showing her transformation from a hospital bed during chemotherapy to her current healthy state.
She credited her husband Ben and fellow professional Carlos Gu with helping prove that cancer had not taken away her dancing.